On Media

Obama: Press ‘got enough to spin a story’

President Barack Obama dismissed reporters on Wednesday from his closed press Q&A session with the Business Roundtable by telling the crowd the media “probably got enough there to spin a story.”

“Yeah, I think the press is, they’ve probably got enough there to spin a story,” the president said as the Q&A with the corporate CEOs kicked off.

Business Roundtable spokesperson Tita Freeman told POLITICO on Tuesday the Q&A session would be closed to the press. And the White House schedule states that "the president delivers remarks to members of the Business Roundtable and answers questions” and that the press coverage is “for remarks only.”

The president has not always held closed press Q&A sessions with the Business Roundtable. In Obama’s 2009 meeting with the group, both his speech and the following Q&A session were open to the press and cameras. When Obama met with the group earlier this year, however, his remarks were open to the press, but, like today, the Q&A was not.